Ace Attorney: Hunt for The Phantom
by mtnetwarrior
Summary: In an alternate universe, certain characters from the Ace Attorney series partake in a game hosted by Simon Blackquill. The only question on each of there minds... Who is The Phantom? Sequel (of sorts) to A Few Simple Changes.
1. Chapter 1: The Hunt Begins

**My next project is ready. This story is based on the fifth season of The Mole and features characters from the Phoenix Wright series that I think would definitely fit in the shoes of the contestants. Those readers who have seen the show and can make the necessary comparisons, please do not spoil anything for those that haven't. And no watching the show itself to sneak a peek either, that's cheating. See, part of the joy of this story is that it's semi-interactive. The quizzes that are so important to the game will be displayed for the readers. If you wish to play along and try to find out who The Phantom is, leave your answers in a review, then I'll pm you with the amount of questions you answered correctly (for obvious reasons you will not know which ones). In addition, this story will be written alongside the final case in "Rise of the Ace Attorney", usually within a day of each other. Each chapter in that final case will hold a clue to The Phantom's identity somewhere within, always pertaining to the chapter of this story posted alongside it. Also, this story is a direct sequel to "A Few Simple Changes" and takes place in the year 2030. Disclaimer: I don't Ace Attonery or The Mole. And with that...**

Chapter 1: The Hunt Begins

In Los Angeles, Chile, Prosecutor Simon Blackquill stood near a cliff overlooking the Laja Falls. In about an hour the contestants for this new game would arrive, twelve people from the world of law enforcement. Detectives, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and forensic scientists. From these four critical aspects of the criminal justice system, twelve individuals were chosen to take part in an interesting hunt. Soon enough, the two vans drove up to the viewing area where the first mission would take place.

First came Kay Faraday, a 29-year-old prosecutor following in the footsteps of her father Byrne. Second was Phoenix Wright, a 38-year-old defense attorney who was famous for helping a number of high-profile clients, including Simon himself. Third was Larry Butz, a 37-year-old security guard who, despite his impressive record, had something of a lazy reputation. Fourth out was Franziska von Karma, a 31-year-old prosecutor eagerly following in the path of her father Manfred.

After that came Ema Skye, a 30-year-old forensic scientist said to have science coming out of her every pore. Next came Apollo Justice, a 26-year-old defense attorney working under Phoenix, who was well known for his strange ability to perceive small twitches within witnesses to discern the truth. Up next was Klavier Gavin, a 28-year-old prosecutor known just as much for his rock band, the Gavinners, as he was for his skill in the courtroom. Next came Wendy Oldbag, a 72-year-old security guard infamous for her hair-trigger temper.

Next was Angel Starr, a 44-year-old detective well known as the "Cough-Up Queen". After her came Diego Armando, a 45-year-old prosecutor who happened to be a former defense attorney. The next person to step out was Dick Gumshoe, a 43-year-old detective well known for his jovial nature and big heart. Lastly came Adrian Andrews, a 36-year-old security chief known to have a serious nature while on the job, but to be quite friendly otherwise.

Simon smiled as the twelve contestants grouped together. "Greetings all of you," Simon said, "My name is Simon Blackquill. Let me start with a little exposition. As you know, ten years ago an elite international spy known officially as 'The Phantom' attacked the GYAXA space center intent on sabotaging the HAT-1 project. In the process he also took the life of one the center's key scientists. Thankfully that man is now in custody. But it gave the police department an excellent idea for an interesting game."

The twelve people listened intently as Simon continued. "All twelve of you received a phone call prior to this meeting. In eleven of those cases the phone call was identical, a simple invitation to partake in this adventure. However, the twelfth person received a different phone call." He paused. "That person is the mysterious 'Phantom' of this game. And like The Phantom who attacked the GYAXA center, this Phantom will be doing his or her best to sabotage the missions you will be receiving during this adventure." He chuckled at the suspicious stares the contestants subtly gave each other.

"Here's how the game plays out," Simon said, "At certain times over the course of the next ten weeks, you will receive various missions for cash that will be deposited in an overall bank account. Sometimes the cash will be earned by you individually, sometimes it will be a lump sum. In every mission there is a chance The Phantom will try to sabotage the mission, but keep in mind he or she will not sabotage _every_ mission, only the ones they are told to. However, you will not be made aware of what was sabotaged until the very end."

He placed an hawk feather between his teeth. "After two missions, there will be a quiz. This quiz will consist of ten questions regarding The Phantom's identity. Following that will be the elimination ceremony. During this ceremony, the person who scored the lowest on the quiz will be eliminated from the game. If there is a tie, whoever was slowest will be eliminated. So answer quickly, but accurately. Also, during a random elimination round, there will be a bribe offer. A small lump sum will be offered to whoever wants to leave during that ceremony. This will only be offered once during the game."

There was a general sign of interest among the group. "When the game reaches it's final missions," Simon continued, "There will be only three people left, two contestant and The Phantom. All three of them will participate during the final quiz, which will have twenty questions. The only other difference with this final quiz is that the previous quizzes will only be in regards to the two missions that preceded it, and the events that surrounded it. The final quiz however, will be in regards to the entire game, so pay attention to each others' actions at all times. Whichever of the final two contestants scores highest on the final quiz will win all the money added to the account. Any questions?"

Hearing nothing but silence, Simon nodded. "Good, now as you'll notice we are standing over the Salto de Laja waterfall." _**(Larry: This adventure is basically just one big mindgame. You really need your A-game from the first second to avoid falling behind.) **_"I'm certain you've had time to get to know each other before coming here," Simon said, "And so, before we begin, I'd like to start with a secret ballet." He handed out twelve cards with the suspects pictures on them. "On these cards, secretly mark the person you believe to be The Phantom, just off first impressions alone." The suspects each took a card, circled the picture of the person they believed The Phantom was, then folded the card and handed it back to Simon.

"Alright then," Simon said once he had all the cards, "According to the ballet, the person most of you think is The Phantom is..." He paused to build suspense, then said, "Franziska." He motioned for Franziska to stand next to him. "Well now," Simon said, "Seems everyone already thinks you're The Phantom." Franziska smirked. "That's fine I suppose." _**(Franziska: I'm certain that it's because of my father's sordid past, but it doesn't bother me at all. In this sort of game, you want people to think you are The Phantom, because it throws suspicion off the real Phantom while you try to seek them out.)**_ "So," Simon said with a grin, "Since you all think that Franziska is The Phantom, let's put that suspicion to the test. I'll give Franziska an advantage over the rest of you by letting her make all the decision for the group for the next twenty-four hours. And that includes our first mission, which I call 'Over the Falls'."

The others grew shocked to hear Franziska would be making all those important decisions. _**(Klavier: I definitely think Franziska could be The Phantom, which made the upcoming mission very scary. Since she was in charge of all our decision making, she was in a prime position to sabotage.)**_ Simon motioned over to the Laja Falls. "South America is famous for its many waterfalls, including this one. Many a tour guide has carefully paddled eager tourists as close to the edge as they could without going over to give them a breath-taking view. But in 1938 one clumsy guide took it a little too close... Sending him and his raftful of German tourists kaput over the side." This earned him looks of shock and disbelief from the suspects.

He smiled and continued, "Tragic... But it gave me a good idea for our first mission." He motioned to eleven rafts near the falls' edge, along with a safety cable. "One at a time, you will each get on one of those rafts and sail over the falls. Don't worry, there will be a safety cable and harness to keep you from plummeting to your deaths." _**(Angel: I don't care how safe Simon says this is. This sort of stunt is dangerous for a first mission. I could seriously die out there.)**_ Simon held up a burlap sack. "You can see one of these burlap money bags suspended over the falls, which is your target. There's one catch, only six of the bags hold real money, $10,000 each. As for the other five, they hold nothing but worthless paper."

He grinned. "To make things even more interesting, none of you will know what you will be jumping for. Franziska will be deciding the order you jump in, and who will be jumping for money, so you have to count on her to make good decisions. Once all eleven of you have jumped, we'll see who has cash, and who has nothing but paper." As the eleven suspects got ready for their mission, Simon stayed with Franziska as she decided who would jump for cash or paper.

Soon enough, Klavier was ready for his jump. "You got this," Franziska said as Klavier got on the raft. _**(Klavier: My absolute biggest fear at that point was going over the edge of the waterfall and drowning. Nothing else seemed to matter. Still, I'm good on my feet in most cases, so I felt confident once I got on the raft.)**_ Klavier signaled that he was ready. As the raft traveled up to the falls, Klavier realized it was drifting too far away from the bag. "Damn," Klavier cursed aloud, and he simply let himself drop off the falls as the safety harness caught him, whilst the raft was dashed to pieces on the rocks below. Seeing his half-hearted attempt at a jump, Wendy called out, "Well, that's it he's gotta be The Phantom."

It was meant to be a joke, and she hoped none of the others would take it seriously. _**(Angel: Klavier looked suspicious at that point because the bag look so far from him and it felt as though he could have given it a lot more effort. He seems very athletic, so his simple leap off the falls seemed suspect.)**_ Klavier was apologizing to the others for his failure as Angel got ready for her jump. _**(Angel: I had no idea what I was getting into, I was not ready for this sort of thing. At that point I just prayed to God with all my heart asking for the strength to overcome this trial.)**_ Angel waited until her raft came close to the bag, then made a dive for it. Unfortunately, her hands slipped off it and she wound up falling only to be saved by the harness she wore.

The others stared in disbelief at what happened. _**(Diego: Klavier at least could make the excuse that his raft was drifting too far from the bag, but Angel was able to reach the bag and still couldn't make it. Was I suspicious? Not really. Just... Disappointed.) **_Diego took his turn next. _**(Diego: I was a defense attorney before I was a prosecutor, and neither job calls for jumping off waterfalls. Sure, I try to stay in shape, but the most jumping I've ever done was jumping over my kids' toys.)**_ With the world shown in infrared through Diego's visor, he could make out where the bag was clearly. As his raft reached the edge of the waterfall, he leapt for the bag... And managed to grab it close to his chest as he plummeted of the side. He waved the bag in triumph as he dangled from the safety harness.

"Congratulations Diego," Simon said, "You manged to secure the team's first bag. But don't rest on your laurels. We still don't know if there's actual money in that bag." _**(Franziska: One of the drawbacks to being suspected of being The Phantom was that during the mission I was isolated from the rest of the group. That meant I wasn't able to get to know the rest of these people better.)**_ Franziska and Simon looked on as Adrian took her turn on the raft. _**(Adrian: I've been a natural athlete since high school. I felt confident I could easily make that grab.)**_ As Adrian approached the bag, she reached to grab it. Leaping off the raft as it plummeted, she succeeded in obtaining her prize, much to delight of the other suspects.

Larry was the next up. _**(Larry: I gotta admit I was nervous. The team setting up the raft said there was a slim chance I could wind up hanging myself on the safety harness.)**_ Larry waited for his chance, then leapt for the bag. He was able to grab it easily. As Wendy went for her turn, Dick called out, "Wendy, don't get the bag, it'll make the rest of us look bad!" Wendy couldn't help but laugh at that. _**(Wendy: It's no secret I'm the oldest one here. And I could tell the rest of them were thinking a poor little old lady wouldn't be able to make it.)**_ Even on her knees, Wendy found it pretty easy to grab her bag. _**(Wendy: I tell ya, it was real satisfying to get out there and show them my stuff.)**_ Wendy beamed as the others cheered for her.

Apollo, a look of determination on his face, got on the raft next. _**(Apollo: I had to get that bag. Otherwise I was afraid my daughter, when she grows up, would make fun of me not being able to get it when a seventy-year-old lady got it.)**_ Apollo jumped for the bag when he was close enough, but wound up missing it by a narrow margin. "Aw man!," he cried out in frustration, "That's just bull!" _**(Apollo: So a seventy-year-old lady gets the bag and I do not. Worst fear... Realized.)**_ Kay got ready for her turn next. _**(Kay: When Simon told me we were going over the falls, I nearly fainted. I mean seriously, this is just crazy! Still, I was a pretty athletic girl in college and I still am now, so I thought I could get it easily.)**_ Kay wound up sitting on the raft and barely made a single effort to grab the bag, missing it entirely.

"Man," Kay said, "I hope there wasn't real money in there." "Whatever, Phantom," Dick said as he took his turn. _**(Dick: When I saw the rope suspended over the falls, I just thought to myself that there was no way it hold my weight. I'm easily the biggest guy here, so I was afraid the rope would snap and leave me plummeting to my death.)**_ Dick waited until the last minute to dive for the bag, but it seemed to slip from his grip as he plummeted over the falls.

* * *

When the rest of the group looked over the cliff to see what had happened, they saw Dick barely keeping the harness from choking him. It was clear he didn't get the bag. _**(Dick: All I remember was seeing the bag in front of me and jumping for it. Next thing I know the line pulls taught and I'm strung up like a hanged man.)**_ Despite not getting the bag, everyone else simple cheered for him just for the effort. Meanwhile, Simon and Franziska watched as Ema took her turn. _**(Ema: I have a severe fear of heights. So when I got on that raft, I was determined to conquer my fears.)**_ Even taking a seated position, Ema was able to reach up and grab the bag with little effort.

Phoenix was the last to take his turn. _**(Phoenix: Back in high school I was really competitive. Granted winning was less important to me when I became a lawyer, but in this game that same spirit is rising up inside me again. And when that happens, I start to see losing as failure.)**_ Phoenix took a diving leap for the bag, grabbing almost effortlessly as the raft crashed on the rocks. Once he was back on the cliff, he said, "There had better be money in this bag!" Simon smiled. "I must say I'm impressed. Each of you went and took the jump, and you came away with six bags. Though this does leave no room for error as far as getting the full mission total is concerned."

Ema opened her bag first. Unfortunately, it only had fake money inside it. Adrian opened her bag next, but it too had nothing but worthless paper. "Oh... Franziska," Wendy said. Simon chuckled. "You're 0 for 2 so far." _**(Angel: I was surprised she didn't pick Adrian to jump for the money, since she seems so athletic. Her height would also give her an advantage. That seemed a little suspicious to me.)**_ "Alright Larry," Simon said, "Let's see what's in your bag."

"I'm feeling good about this," Larry said as he opened his bag. But his confidence soon turned to disappointment as he only pulled out more worthless paper. _**(Larry: I was livid when I pulled out that wad of fake bills. And to be honest I was also a little suspicious. All the athletic people aren't getting money? What does that say about Franziska?)**_ "Okay Phoenix," Simon said, "Let's see if Franziska trusted you." Phoenix reached into his bag, and was pleased when he pulled a stack of real $100 bills. "Well done," Simon said, "You've banked your first $10,000 dollars. Wendy, you're up next." "Well Franziska," Wendy said, "Do you believe in little old ladies?"

When Wendy pulled out another stack of worthless paper, the others all groaned. "That just leaves Diego," Simon said with grin. Diego had a grin of his own when he pulled out another stack or real $100 bills. "Alright then," Simon said, "Not bad for a start. Your current account is now at $20,000. _**(Diego: When I found out we had only made $20,000, I was really disappointed. We have to perform better if we're going to up the account.) (Adrian: This mission was worth a total of $60,000, and we only made a third of that. I truly thought I was jumping for money.)**_

Simon got out twelve black, leather-bound notebooks with a green thumbprint on the front cover. "These are your journals for this adventure. They are the only things you are allowed to write on while the game is active. You can use them to keep notes on your observations throughout the adventure, and they can easily help you determine The Phantom's identity." _**(Kay: The journal seems crucial even at this point. With it I can keep tabs on everything and everyone. What's suspect, what's not... That sort of thing.)**_ "Now when I said that Franziska would be making all the decisions for the group," Simon said, "That includes where you will sleep tonight."

The other suspects all gasped. "As it happens," Simon said, "I have a little cabin not far from here, but it's kinda small. Only eight of you can fit inside, which means four of you will have to sleep outside. So Franziska, who will it be?" Franziska thought for a bit, then said, "Let's go with Ema, Wendy, Dick, and... Larry." Simon smiled. "Keep in mind the rules are you have to sleep where you're assigned. I'll see all of you tomorrow for your next mission." Ema angrily shook her head at this. "It's forty freakin' degrees outside. There's no way I'm sleeping outside. I'm coming in, even if I have to stay awake all night."

Sure enough, once everyone got settled in the cabin, they saw Ema sitting defiantly in a corner. _**(Ema: I'm miffed that Franziska would pick me to sleep outside.)**_ "Weren't you one of the people picked to stay outside?," Phoenix asked. "No," Ema said, "The rules say I have to _sleep_ outside. So if I stay awake, I'm technically not breaking any rules. And I can easily stay awake all night too." _**(Ema: The rule is that we have to **_**sleep**_** outside, nothing about only being allowed outside. So as long as I don't fall asleep, I haven't broken any rules.)**_ "So what is this," Apollo said, "Just a whining thing?"

Ema looked miffed. "It's called circumvention," she said, "I would have thought a lawyer would be familiar with the term." That only got her a glare from Apollo. _**(Apollo: Ema's coming inside saying she knows how to circumvent the rules. Clearly she was expecting five-star hotels and fancy resorts. Well Ema, maybe you shoulnd't even have come here in the first place.)**_ The suspects all began writing in their journals about their thoughts and feelings regarding events so far. _**(Franziska: As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes I can be a little forgetful. So it's really helpful having this journal to remind of everything.)**_ Meanwhile the players who were told to sleep outside in for a cold night. Jokingly, Dick said, "So, wanna tell ghost stories?"

* * *

The next morning, none of the suspects seemed bright-eyed and bushy tailed. "Man," Apollo said, "Ema staying up all night actually kept me up all night." _**(Ema: I did actually pull off staying up all night. All I had to do was keep myself company until dawn.)**_ As Ema complained about needing a few haircare products and Dick wound up breaking his chair that he had been sleeping in, Apollo and Franziska started speaking about forming a coalition within the group. _**(Apollo: You'd think being able to pick up the smallest tell that a person is lying would give me an advantage. You'd be wrong. After all, there are a few people in this group that want you to **_**think**_** they're The Phantom without actually **_**being**_** The Phantom. Still, I felt confident I could trust Franziska as my coalition partner.)**_ Franziska considered Apollo's offer and said, "You good?"

Apollo nodded. "I'm good, but this has to be 'til the end." _**(Franziska: As a prosecutor I feel I'm a good judge of character. And I had a feeling Apollo was the one to trust. I can look at a person's face and just tell sometimes.)**_ Inside the cabin, Klavier spotted a video file. "Hey guys, looks like we have a mission from Simon." 'Good morning mi amigos,' Simon said over the video, 'It's time for your next mission. Take the vans and meet me at Buda Beach, and be sure to dress appropriately.' "Awesome," Apollo said, "That means beachwear. I'm driving." _**(Apollo: Klavier and I are known rivals in the courtroom, and I decided to use him for a bit by having him drive the second van.)**_ Apollo walked out of the cabin saying, "Okay guys, I'll be driving one van and Klavier has the other.

Some of the others looked at Apollo with suspicious glances. _**(Larry: I think it's clear that Apollo and Klavier are in a coalition together. But that's kinda dumb since everyone knows about it.)**_ The group soon reached the beach where Simon was. They were all wearing clothes for warmer weather, with Apollo, Wendy, and Dick wearing baseball caps. "Greetings players," Simon said, "Today I'd like to start with a question. Who do you think is the group's biggest whiner?" Pretty the entire group agreed... It had to be Ema.

"Well then," Simon said, "Ema, would you step over here please?" _**(Ema: I don't whine, I just voice my opinions. I mean, what's wrong with being both smart and beautiful.) (Apollo: I'd have to say that Ema is that sort of person you'd love to hate.)**_ Simon stuck a hawk's feather in his mouth. "Now then, I'd imagine a lot of people here remember the story of _Robinson Crusoe_, correct." The entire group nodded. "Here's something you may not know," Simon said, "The story was based on the real life tale of Alexander Selkirk. Selkirk was sailor who had been stranded off the coast of Chile in 1704. And let me tell you... This guy was a real whiner."

The others laughed when they heard that. Simon continued, "Selkirk eventually made so much noise that his captain got fed up and dumped him on the nearest deserted island, on a beach very similar to this one. This gave me the idea for a mission called, as you'd expect, 'Robinson Crusoe'. To start with, our whiner..." He turned to Ema. "Do you mind if I call you whiner?" Ema thought about it. "Dr. Whiner, if you please," she said with a smirk. Simon laughed. "Dr. Whiner it is. Dr. Whiner here is going to be your 'Selkirk' for this mission. So Dr. Whiner, your first task is to appoint six scavenger's, three appraiser, and two timekeepers."

Ema gave it some thought. "For scavengers, let's have Dick, Franziska, Klavier, Larry, Kay, and Diego. For appraisers... Let's have Adrian, Wendy, and Phoenix." "That leaves Apollo and Angel as the timekeepers," Simon said, "Now for the mission itself. There are a total of 45 items scattered across this beach. Your mission is to find the five items Selkirk had with him in the year 1704. The scavengers will need to scoop up all the items they can find and deliver them to the appraisers. The appraisers must then use their knowledge and logic to determine which of the items Selkirk had with him."

He motioned over to the table. "Bring the items to this table and ring this bell to single you've made your choices. You only get three tries. But you'll have to hurry." He pointed out a half-hourglass filled with sand. "When that special hourglass runs out of sand, the game is over. On it's own, it will only last around ten minutes. That's where the timekeepers come in. They will have to take the buckets provided and keep running up and down the stairs to refill the hourglass. Every correctly guessed item will add $5,000 to your overall account."

The scavengers readied themselves as Simon ran over to the hourglass to start the timer. "The mission begins now!," he called out as he pulled the pin. Apollo and Angel followed him and quickly started filling the buckets as the scavengers began combing the beach, with the appraisers calling out suggestions based on what they could see with a cursory view. As Apollo began filling the hourglass, he called down to Angel, "Leave the other bucket on that first rung." Once he finished filling it, he carefully tossed the bucket down to Angel.

As the appraisers looked on, trying to guess from their vantage point which items were likely options, it was clear to them that some of the scavengers were struggling to run across the beach. _**(Wendy: I noticed that the girls in the group were doing most of the running, while the guys were just sauntering across the beach.)**_ _**(Dick: I was selected as a scavenger, but that seemed kinda stupid. Sure I can sprint for a short period, but long-term running ain't my forte.)**_ _**(Diego: For a while, I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but then I just decided to get what I could find and let the appraisers parse it all out.)**_ The appraisers kept cheering the scavengers on to find all they could.

Not far off the beach, Franziska was trying to lead a goat to the table. _**(Franziska: I was trying to lead this goat to where the appraisers were, but it either kept pulling me back or trying to headbutt me.)**_ Phoenix humorously said, "How do you propose we get this goat on the table? Maybe we should just tie it to one of the legs." He then checked some of the other items. "Did he have a sewing machine? Or a hat?" _**(Ema: I had picked Phoenix deliberately since he had a history background in high school, but he seemed lost with the items. Maybe he's The Phantom.)**_ Phoenix was shaking his head.

Meanwhile Klavier came in saying, "We got a hairdryer." _**(Phoenix: It seemed to me that the scavengers were wasting too much time and energy bringing things that clearly couldn't have been around in the 1700s, like a vacuum cleaner and an electric fan. Heck, at one point Dick even brought in a sign from The Phantom... That's not funny.)**_ Larry was standing around the beach gasping for air. "Jeez, it's feels like my heart's gonna stop." _**(Diego: I saw Larry standing around grabbing his chest like he's an eighty-year-old war vet. Considering he bragged about his athletic skills before we began this game, that seems a little suspicious.)**_ Larry kept trying to walk, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere.

Meanwhile the appraisers were making their first decisions. They finally settled on an antique battery, a bowler hat, a bunsen burner, a victrola, and a goat. Phoenix rang the bell and Simon looked over their choices. "You have one item correct so far." That got a few gasps of surprise from the appraisers. _**(Wendy: I was sure Selkirk had a victrola... Although now that I think about it I probably had **_**Swiss Family Robinson**_** in mind rather than **_**Robinson Crusoe**_**.)**_ Back near the hourglass, Apollo called out, "I no longer need dinner, I've just had a _sand_-which! I really don't like Ema now!" Ema just rolled her eyes.

As Apollo and Angel struggled to keep sand in the hourglass, Phoenix moaned, "We need to hurry, but we only two more tries." _**(Phoenix: I see Dick struggling to keep pace, Larry barely being able to move his skinny legs, Apollo busting it trying to keep time on the clock. This is just a train wreck of a**** mission.)**_ Phoenix sighed.

* * *

"Guys," Simon said, "Polly over there's dying, you'd better get a move on." As the scavengers came in with more items, Phoenix said, "Let's just throw something up there that we haven't yet." The appraisers soon decided on a camera, a bible, a mason jar, a musket, and a goat. Wendy rang the bell for Simon to check their answers. "This time," Simon said, "You have three correct items." Phoenix quickly took the camera and the mason jar off the table. Back at the hourglass, Angel called out, "Apollo, look at low it is." Apollo gasped out, "I can't move anymore."

The scavengers had only found 28 out of the 45 items as the appraisers made their final decision. Phoenix tried a pair of blue jeans thinking, "He had to have pants, right?" As the sand began to run out, Apollo, out of breath, took a seat near the bottom of the stairs. The appraisers tossed a revolver on the table and rang the bell just as the sand ran out. As all the suspects came back in, Simon looked over the items that were selected. "Okay, let's start with the revolver. That's wrong. The revolver was first invented in 1835. Next is the musket, that's correct. The bible... Also correct. As for the jeans... A little late. They weren't around until 1873."

"Jeez," Apollo said, obviously peeved, "I coughed up a lung for blue jeans?" Simon chuckled. "Anyway, the last item, the goat, is correct. So you're 3 for 5 giving you a total of $15,000 for the account, brining it up to $35,000." _**(Kay: How do I feel about $35,000? Let me put it this way, we've had the potential to put a total of $85,000 in the account so far, and we haven't even made half that. Either we're not very good as a group or The Phantom is just that good.)**_ "As for the last two items," Simon said, "There was a tobacco tin, as well as a copper teakettle. I don't see either of these among the items you've retrieved, so you obviously haven't found those."

There were a few shrugs and dejected looks among the group. "One final thing," Simon said with a smirk, "I'm sure when you heard me mention Crusoe that someone was going to get left behind on the beach. Well, you were right. The person getting left behind... Is Dr. Whiner." There were cheers and applause from the group as Ema looked exasperated. _**(Ema: When the group started laughing at my being stranded, I gotta say I was a little bit hurt.)**_ "Well then," Simon said, "What's say the rest of us go enjoy something nice and warm?" The other suspects followed Simon as Ema was left on the beach.

* * *

As Ema got herself comfortable on the beach by making a nice fire to keep warm, the other suspects talked amongst themselves about the mission. "Larry was out there about to drop several times," Kay said to Franziska and Wendy, "He said he wasn't very athletic, but that contradicts his earlier boasting at the start of the game." _**(Franziska: Larry could easily be The Phantom.)**_ "You guys see Apollo and Klavier together," Kay said, "I think it's obvious they have a coalition together."

Back in the boys room, Apollo and Klavier were talking about the other suspects. "Whose your top three?," Apollo said. Klavier thought about it. "Well, first one is Franziska." Apollo nodded. "That's a good choice." _**(Klavier: Franziska is definitely my first choice for The Phantom. She can easily flip her switch and suddenly have her game on.)**_ "I'm pretty much head and tails with Franziska," Apollo said. _**(Apollo: Franziska is my major coalition partner. I don't believe she's The Phantom. But I'm also using Klavier, so I want to him think that Franziska **_**IS**_** The Phantom. Also, it means everyone else thinks I'm in a coalition with Klavier, which is just what I want them to think.)**_ Apollo and Klavier shook hands.

Later that night, the suspects, minus Ema, joined Simon for dinner, dressed in their Sunday finest. "Buenos noches. Welcome to your first quiz and elimination. I invite you all to eat, drink, and be merry. The state is footing the bill for these dinners, so treat it like it's you last meal." "Oh," Apollo said, "In that case I'll have the lobster." That got him a few laughs from the others. "As we know," Simon said, "There are only eleven of you here, since Ema is stranded back on the beach. So, anyone missing her?" Nothing but silence. Dick finally broke the silence by saying, "Well, I was hoping she'd stick around she we could get more information from her. If the questions are all about her, well then we're outta luck."

"Well," Apollo said, "That would happen if you thought she was The Phantom, right?" Dick nodded. "That would be the perfect cover." _**(Apollo: Out of all the others, Dick is my leading suspect. He's the sort of person you just love to love. All the others are acting conniving, backstabbing, or threatening to make the others focus on them. Dick is different. And that makes me suspicious.)**_ "Well," Simon said, "Now that you're all in this game, what's it truly like?"

"It's kind of hard," Franziska said, "Because you're used to having the trust of those around you. And then you're thrust into a situation where you can't really trust anyone." _**(Franziska: Going into the first quiz, I'm admittedly nervous. I hope I've played the game good so far. It would be truly disappointing to be sent home this early.)**_ Simon looked over the group. "Right now, by show of hands. How many of you think they have a decent lead on who The Phantom is?" None of the suspects raised their hands. "At this point," Apollo said, "The mole would be stupid to reveal himself." "I suppose so," Simon said with a chuckle, "So, you guys must be nervous going into your first quiz."

There was a general nodding among the group. "Going into it," Phoenix said, "I'd say everyone except The Phantom would think it was nerve-wracking. Leading up to it, I'd say everyone's gonna feel miserable." Simon chuckled. "That's music to The Phantom's ears." _**(Phoenix: I feel like I rushed too fast into this thing, so I hope I get a second chance tonight to just start over. The main reason I got into this, is because of my wife. Even being a defense attorney, it's hard for me to make any real money, leaving Iris to work two jobs just to help us make ends meet, all while raising three children. I just hope to make enough money so that she doesn't have to work anymore, and she can spend more time with our kids. After all, they won't be kids for much longer.)**_ The waiters brought in the suspects food, and the group dug in.

After the meal, Simon stood and raised his goblet. "I'd like to make a toast before our first quiz. They say these pisco sours are the national drink of Chile. I will admit they can be a bit habit forming." The group raised their glasses as Simon said, "May The Phantom be merciful."

* * *

**The suspects are now ready to take their first quiz. The questions are all laid here for you to answer on your own. How well do you think you'll do. Just to remind you, the players names will be beside the answers that relate to them.**

1. Is The Phantom male or female?

A. Male (Phoenix, Larry, Apollo, Klavier, Diego, Dick)

B. Female (Kay, Franziska, Ema, Wendy, Angel, Adrian)

2. When did The Phantom jump in the "Over the Falls" mission?

A. First (Klavier)

B. Second (Angel)

C. Third (Diego)

D. Fourth (Adrian)

E. Fifth (Larry)

F. Sixth (Wendy)

G. Seventh (Apollo)

H. Eighth (Kay)

I. Ninth (Dick)

J. Tenth (Ema)

K. Eleventh (Phoenix)

L. The Phantom did not jump (Franziska)

_**(Dick: Franziska's choices didn't make sense to me. She seemed to make all the shortest people jump for the cash.)**_

3. During the "Crusoe" mission, which group was The Phantom assigned to?

A. Scavenger (Kay, Larry, Franziska, Klavier, Diego, Dick)

B. Timer (Apollo, Angel)

C. Appraiser (Phoenix, Wendy, Adrian)

D. Whiner (Ema)

_**(Wendy: The two items that weren't found would be very easy for The Phantom to hide without it being obvious to anyone else.)**_

4. On the first night, where was The Phantom assigned to sleep?

A. Inside (Kay, Phoenix, Franziska, Apollo, Klavier, Angel, Diego, Adrian)

B. Outside (Larry, Ema, Wendy, Dick)

_**(Larry: Adrian is on my radar. She seems like the sort of smart, athletic individual who could easily mess up what she wanted and accel at everything else.)**_

5. As it's written on The Phantom's bag, does The Phantom have an even or odd number of letters in their name?

A. Odd (Kay, Phoenix, Larry, Franziska, Ema, Klavier, Wendy, Angel, Diego)

B. Even (Apollo, Dick, Adrian)

6. What is The Phantom's age?

A. 26 (Apollo)

B. 28 (Klavier)

C. 29 (Kay)

D. 30 (Ema)

E. 31 (Franziska)

F. 36 (Adrian)

G. 37 (Larry)

H. 38 (Phoenix)

I. 43 (Dick)

J. 44 (Angel)

K. 45 (Diego)

L. 72 (Wendy)

_**(Franziska: Ema could be The Phantom. After all, she's questionable with certain things that she's done.)**_

7. In "Over the Falls," what was the outcome of The Phantom's jump?

A. Successfully grabbed a bag with money (Phoenix, Diego)

B. Successfully grabbed a bag without money (Larry, Ema, Wendy, Adrian)

C. Tried but did not grab a bag (Kay, Apollo, Klavier, Angel, Dick)

D. Did not go over the falls (Franziska)

_**(Phoenix: Dick is the sort of person that everyone is routing for. No one expected him to make that jump, and when he didn't get the bag, everyone just cheered for him. That's a perfect cover, that you can blow things and people will actually be happy for you.)**_

8. Did The Phantom drive one of the vans to the beach?

A. Yes (Apollo, Klavier)

B. No (Kay, Phoenix, Larry, Fraziska, Ema, Wendy, Angel, Diego, Dick, Adrian)

9. At the start of the "Crusoe" mission, was The Phantom wearing a hat?

A. Yes (Apollo, Wendy, Dick)

B. No (Kay, Phoenix, Larry, Franziska, Ema, Klavier, Angel, Diego, Adrian)

_**(Kay: Larry could be The Phantom. Me and Franziska were running about five different trips while Larry was just struggling to breathe. That is a bit suspect.)**_

10. Who is The Phantom?

A. Angel

B. Klavier

C. Larry

D. Diego

E. Dick

F. Adrian

G. Wendy

H. Franziska

I. Phoenix

J. Ema

K. Apollo

L. Kay

**Feel free to peruse the chapter if you need a refresher on any of the questions. After all, the suspects won't have that luxury.**

* * *

The eleven suspects all walked out near the gazebo where Simon was standing near a giant-screen TV with all their faces on it. Not far from the chairs where they say were their bags. "Good evening players," Simon said, "Tonight is your first execution. As you know, Ema is not with us here this evening. Though I sure she'd want to at least say hi." He switched the screen to a camera on the beach where Ema was. "Hey guys," Ema said, smiling over the fire she had going. "Hey there Ema," Simon said, "We're about to start our first elimination. Wanna know why that's good for you?" Ema nodded in confusion. Simon smirked and said, "You are not here, which means you cannot be eliminated."

"Excellent!," Ema said with a wide smile, "Well then, I guess I should thank you guys. Good night folks. I look forward to hearing to gets eliminated in my place." With a smile, Simon switched the screen back to the faces. "By naming Ema as the one to stay behind on the beach," Simon explained, "You have inadvertently given her the game's first exemption. You should keep an eye out for more, as you will be notified of the rest ahead of time." The others were a little stunned to learn they had accidentally given Ema a free ride to the next round.

"Now then," Simon said, "Let's get down to business. I'll access your quiz results one at a time. If you're name comes up green, you're safe and may continue playing the game. But if it comes up red, then you've been eliminated and must leave immediately." He brought up the results one-by-one.

Angel... Safe

Kay... Safe

Apollo... Safe

Larry... Safe

Phoenix... Safe

Franziska... Eliminated

Franziska hung her head in defeat. "Curses..." Simon led Franziska, who grabbed her bag, to a waiting limo that would take her to the final location to wait for the endgame.

Franziska: I'm a little sorry to be going home so soon. I would have like to have played longer. This was a great challenge for me, both mentally and physically.

Angel: I really liked Franziska from the start. Considering her family's notoriety I really felt like she was down-to-earth.

Apollo: She really is a good girl. I think everyone's gonna hate to see her go.

Dick: I feel like the wrong person went home tonight. That it should have been Ema instead.

Diego: While I am sad to see Franziska go, at the same time it means the rest of us get another chance. I can honestly say I will enjoy every moment of this game.

To be continued...

**Keep your eyes peeled, we've only just started. Leave your quiz answers in the form of a review if you want to play along. I'll send you a message back telling you how well you did. See ya later.**


	2. Chapter 2: You'll Catch Me When Pigs Fly

**In my last chapter, the twelve players, or suspects as I call them, met for the start of the game... And dove in head-first. Bonds quickly formed, and suspicions began rising. It didn't help that only $35,000 out of a possible $85,000 went into the players' account. To make things more interesting, Ema and Apollo pretty quickly began to butt heads, which contributed to her becoming a castaway. This, however, proved to be a good thing for her, as it gave her the game's first exemption. Instead, it was Franziska who became The Phantom's first victim. This not only left many of the other players feeling upset, it also left Apollo short a coalition partner. There are eleven players left. Who will be eliminated next? Who will win all the money? And most important of all... Who is The Phantom? Disclaimer: I don't own Ace Attorney or The Mole.**

Chapter 2: You'll Catch Me When Pigs Fly

Apollo: With Franziska leaving the game, my whole game changes. Now I'm short a coalition, and wondering where I go from here.

Wendy: Finding out that Ema got an exemption purely out of bad behavior is honestly upsetting. I don't think any of us truly felt like she had even earned it. For all her education, you'd think she'd have learned a little something in the way of manners.

Dick: All things considered, I think I'm doing alright. I've only had three goals going into this. To not soil myself, which I've accomplished so far, to not embarrass my family... I'm kinda heads or tails on that one. And definitely not be the first one eliminated. So, I'd say I've done... Maybe two and a half of those things.

The next day, the group headed out for the city of Santiago, Chile. They soon met with Simon at the Parque Metropolitano, or Metropolitan Park. "Welcome players," Simon said, "Here in Santiago, the nation's capitol, the Parque Metropolitano is well-known for being built around a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary on the very summit of the hill. And that leads into our next mission, which is called 'Race to the Summit'." He looked at the players. "I see Ema is back with us today, that's good." _**(Ema: After the last quiz I decided to try playing the game more quiet and subtle.)**_

Simon looked over to Apollo. "So Polly, you happy to have out resident whiner back." Apollo just shrugged. "Not quite. We'll see after today... Maybe." _**(Ema: I don't want to fight Apollo if I can help it, but I am older and taller than him, so I could take him if I had to.)**_ "Well then," Simon said, placing a hawk feather in his, "Let's begin with a little grouping. I need you all to split into two teams, nine of you are goal-oriented, and two who see life as an uphill battle." Dick, Wendy, and Phoenix almost immediately tried volunteering for the group of two.

As the group debated, Ema said, "How about we have Phoenix and Adrian be the group of two?" _**(Phoenix: I'm pretty sure everyone except Wendy and Dick knew that the two 'uphill battlers' were definitely going up that hill.)**_ After a quick discussion, the group agreed to have Phoenix and Adrian as the 'Uphill' group. Simon couldn't help but chuckle. "I certainly hope your mission is easier than that selection process. Speaking of which, the mission, as its name suggests, is a race to the top of the hill where the statue rests." He pulled a black cloak up from the ground next to him, revealing a tandem bicycle. "Phoenix and Adrian, this will be your ride. A lovely bicycle built for two. As for the rest of you..."

He pointed to the sky at the gondolas flying overhead. "A nice, scenic ride that takes a mere ten minutes. If you can beat the 'Uphill' team, $35,000 will be added to your account, effectively doubling it. One catch... You will have to earn those tickets. And to do that, you'll be participating in Chile's most popular sport. Care to guess?" There came several calls of "soccer" from the group. Simon chuckled. "I suppose that is well known. Now here's some good and bad news. The bad news is you'll be playing against one of the city toughest and strongest teams. Good news... You only have to score one goal to earn your tickets. After that, you will have to make your way on foot to the gondola station. Once you get there, the hard part's over and you'll simply cruise to the top of the hill. However, should Phoenix and Adrian got to the top first, not only will no money be added to the account, but they will both earn an exemption for the next quiz."

_**(Adrian: When Simon told us we would be riding for an exemption, I was just pumped.)**_ Simon brought out nine green jerseys with a thumbprint on the front. "Naturally, you can't go playing soccer without these official 'Phantom' team uniforms." The nine "Goal" team players each took one of the jerseys, which were designed to fit each of them. _**(Larry: I played soccer back in middle school and high school, so I know the game better than most of the other players.)**_ _**(Klavier: I was excited at this point. I player soccer in high school so I felt confident that we make this easy.)**_

"'Goal' team," Simon said, "There are vans waiting for you at the bottom of the hill to take you to the playing field. And with that... The mission starts now!" The "Goal" team headed for the vans, with Dick yelling, "Everyone good at soccer get in the first van." Meanwhile, Phoenix and Adrian got their helmets on ready to take the bike to the top. "Let's try and get in a rhythm," Phoenix said, "And see how this bike rides." _**(Phoenix: I've ridden bikes before, plenty of times. My furthest distance so far has been about... 50 miles.)**_ Unfortunately, as Adrian and Phoenix got started, the chain to the bike suddenly came off.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Phoenix said as he got off to check the chain. Meanwhile, the "Goal" team had reached the playing field. They would be playing a 20-minute game against a local team, and if they could not score a goal within that time, they would allowed to try using penalty kicks. Klavier quickly got started setting the players up where he thought they would do the most good. _**(Diego: Both Klavier and Larry were in soccer leagues during their high school years, and there were several others in our group that were very athletic. We were looking pretty good.)**_

The opposing teams coach whistled for the team to come to the field. _**(Wendy: We were all wondering just what sort of team we would be up against.)**_ As the players looked, a team of children came running up to the field. The "Goal" team cheered, thinking it would be an easy game. _**(Apollo: I'm pretty sure everyone thought that those kids would be easy to get past.) (Dick: When those kids came, I was kinda wishing I was wearing a cup. See, I sometimes babysit my niece and nephew, who aren't much older than those kids. And when they get running... Let's just say it can hit below the belt.)**_

_**(Larry: We got this. We'll score a goal in the first two minutes, then had up the hill before Phoenix and Adrian can make it.)**_ _**(Diego: We're ready to charge forward, our wills strong and our spirits high.)**_ Pretty quickly into the game, the kids were already in control. What the "Goal" team didn't count on was that the kids were not only raised on soccer, they were smaller, faster, and had been trained to work as a team. The "Goal" team soon found themselves overwhelmed, with Apollo getting the ball stolen from him twice. "Man these kids are good," Ema said as one of the kids scored a goal past her, "This is going get embarrassing real fast."

_**(Angel: Those little kids are dynamite. They were spinning our heads around as we struggled to keep control of the ball for two seconds. I almost wish I was on their team.)**_ The "Uphill" team wasn't faring much better. In spite of Phoenix's efforts to repair the chain, it just kept falling off. _**(Adrian: We just kept going up the hill, on the bike at first and for a while we were actually going into a good rhythm. My legs still feel a little numb from the effort.) (Phoenix: It seemed like everytime we really got going, the chain would fall off. I was starting to think it was designed to.)**_

Out of sheer frustration, Phoenix said, "Let's just run up the hill. We'll carry the bike if we have to." _**(Phoenix: I didn't care if I had to put that bike on my back. I was going to get that exemption.)**_ As Phoenix and Adrian struggled up the hill, the remaining players were eating up valuable time trying to score just one goal against their pint-sized opponents. _**(Apollo: These kids were just too amazing. They almost literally ran circles around us. It just kept going... Goal after goal after goal.)**_ "Ugh," Ema said after another ball flew past her, "How do you say 'We suck' in Spanish?"

_**(Ema: I was just told to be the goalie, but I has no idea what I was doing. And to be honest, I didn't feel like jumping into the dirt just to stop a ball.)**_ Larry, meanwhile, once again was out of breath and not feeling his age. "I can't do this... This running stuff. I'm outta breath." _**(Larry: I wound up overexerting myself. I couldn't take all that heavy running.) (Dick: We had Ema has the goalie for a while, but then Larry took over because he was out of breath.)**_

_**(Angel: Larry is acting such a wimp. He needs to man up a little if he wants to stay in this game.)**_ Larry tried cooling himself off by pouring a bottle of water over his head, but it didn't seem to be working much. Back near the top of the hill, Phoenix and Adrian were still running as fast as they could to reach the summit first. _**(Adrian: I knew Phoenix was desperate to win that exemption, but it never crossed my mind that he could be The Phantom.) (Phoenix: I definitely think Adrian could be The Phantom, but if she is then it works to my benefit for this mission. After all, The Phantom would want to get the exemption and leave one more normal player vulnerable to elimination, and more importantly keep money out of the account.)**_

Back on the field, the "Goal" team was quickly running out of time. _**(Dick: The kids were dribbling the ball closer to the goal, and I was trying best to kick it away. However, I would up kicking the ball straight Larry into our own goal. I guess that means I can outplay him.)**_ As the game wore on, Apollo collapsed on the ground in frustration. _**(Diego: Suddenly Apollo thinks it's beach time and drops to the ground. You seriously could have given him a blanket and a picnic basket and it would have looked natural, even in the middle of a soccer field.)**_

_**(Wendy: I saw Apollo crouched over spitting and I grew concerned that he was gonna cough up a lung.)**_ Finally, the coach blew his whistle signaling that twenty minutes has elapsed without the players scoring. Which meant they would now be able to rely on penalty kicks. Klavier tried first, but his shot couldn't make it past. _**(Larry: Klavier just sucks. His penalty kick was just brutal.)**_ Luckily, Angel was able to make it with her shot after the ball bounced harmlessly off the goalie's head. _**(Angel: I felt like the hero of the team at that moment.)**_

The players were handed their tickets and a map to the station. However, they still had to reach the station on foot, and they had no idea how far up the hill Phoenix and Adrian were. _**(Diego: We actually got a good start running in unison... For about fifteen seconds.)**_ _**(Kay: No, we go this way. No, we go this way, it's shortcut. There was either major sabotage, or The Phantom was just sitting back and laughing.)**_ Klavier and Kay quickly charged ahead of the group, but Dick and Wendy may as well have been anchors for the group. _**(Apollo: I knew Wendy wasn't The Phantom, but she is very crafty. I tried my best to coax her up the hill, knowing that if she didn't make it, none of us would.)**_

* * *

_**(Diego: It started breaking down into a few groups. We had the fast group with Klavier and Kay. And then there was the worst group ever with Dick, Larry, and Wendy. I think I also saw Apollo and Angel stay behind with Wendy, which was suspicious to me.)**_ Finally, Wendy took her shoes off, saying, "My feet are too swollen." _**(Wendy: I was raised out in the country, so my bare feet are tougher than the soles on any shoes.)**_ After Wendy got Apollo and Angel to help her up, the three of them quickly followed the others.

Meanwhile, Phoenix and Adrian were going along at a good clip, alternating between just running with the bike and actually riding it. "This is one of the hardest things I've ever has to do," Phoenix said. "I'm actually doing all right," Adrian said, "Then again, I'm not the one pushing the bike. Are you sure you don't me to push it?" Phoenix shock his head. They soon spotted Simon sitting at a table on a small veranda, a taxi parked near him. "Hey Phoenix, Adrian," Simon said, "Why take a break for a bit?" He offered them a couple of pisco sours, but Phoenix refused sticking to the water bottle he had.

_**(Adrian: I wasn't expecting to see Simon on the path, and I'm wondering to myself just what he has planned.)**_ "I'm pleased to tell you you're halfway up the path," Simon said, "And I have a little offer for you. Instead of the bike, you can take the taxi up the rest of the way. However, it'll cost you $5,000 out of the current account." Phoenix shook his head. "We've made it this far without a taxi," he said, "We should be able to make it the rest of the way." He picked up the bike and started back on the path. Adrian just shrugged and followed him. _**(Phoenix: I don't like being bothered or provoked, I get that enough in court. I just wanted to finish the mission, and that's it.)**_

Meanwhile with the other nine players, Klavier, Kay, and Ema got to the gondola station first. However, even if they got to the top before Phoenix and Adrian, it wouldn't matter unless the rest of the "Goal" team was with them at the finish line. Diego was with them, but stayed behind to look for the other players. "I saw Wendy was taking her shoes off," Klavier said on the gondola, "But I guess that's what you gotta do for $35,000 dollars." Phoenix and Adrian started to book it to make up for the small amount of time lost talking to Simon. "I think we should be good if they haven't reached the gondola yet," Phoenix said.

As the first of the "Goal" team reached the summit, the rest of the players got to the lower station. Angel, Larry, and Diego got on the second gondola, with Apollo, Dick, and Wendy on the third. Meanwhile, Phoenix and Adrian finally neared the summit. _**(Adrian: When I saw the stairs leading to the park, I knew we had a chance at this.)**_ Finally, the "Goal" team arrived to where Simon was waiting near the base of the Virgin statue. _**(Angel: When we finally got to the statue, we didn't see Phoenix or Adrian, which was encouraging.)**_

"Congrats team," Simon said, "You all made it. Start as a team, finish as a team. So how do you feel getting up here?" There were some general groans among the group. Simon smiled. "Not exactly the thrill of victory here." "You know what," Apollo said, "As long as we got here first, I'm happy." Simon chuckled. "Well, let's find out." He turned to the stairs at the base of the statue. "Phoenix? Adrian? You there?" There was a few tense moments of disbelief... Before Adrian and Phoenix came triumphantly down the stairs. The rest of the players quickly groaned. _**(Wendy: That's $35,000 out the window, and now Phoenix and Adrian don't even have to worry about the quiz.)**_

"I gotta say," Simon said, "These two were pure road warriors. I had offered a faster ride up the hill in exchange for money being taken out of the account, but they refused it. And still they were able to get here first. That means no money was earned this mission and Phoenix and Adrian now have an exemption." "Can I ask a question?," Apollo said, "Is it possible when this is all over for us to owe _you_ money Simon?" Simon chuckled. "As tempting as that is Polly, I don't it's possible within the confines of the game's rules."

_**(Kay: We just lost $35,000. That's the worst blow so far.)**_ "This would have gone smoother if everyone wasn't arguing," Kay complained. The group sat down for lunch before heading to the next location. "It feels like there wasn't one person on that field, other than the opposing team, who knew how to play soccer," Apollo said. Larry grumbled and said, "Well who kicked the ball farther than anyone else on the team?" "What does that matter?," Apollo said angrily, "That ball could flying around the sun and back to Earth. But if it doesn't get in the goal, it's still worthless. And here you are, saying that you're a champion soccer player, but what was happening out there on the field?" Larry crossed his arms, "I told you I couldn't run."

_**(Apollo: I was grilling Larry about how useless he was out on the field today. The guy said he excelled in soccer, but that's not what I was seeing.)**_ "You were out of it yourself!," Larry tried to counter. "Yeah," Apollo said, "But at least I wasn't being a baby about it. You were just out there going, 'I can't run, I can't run.' You said you were the best soccer player on our team, but even Dick was able to score past you!" _**(Kay: Apollo was verbally attacking Larry all throughout lunch. It was really upsetting me.)**_ "Look, guys," Kay said, "Let's stop pointing the blame at each other. We failed, and that's that."

_**(Ema: I couldn't help but feel glad that Apollo was attacking someone other than me for a change. It was nice seeing the game getting under other people's skin.)**_ Back at the hotel, Larry and Kay were talking about Apollo's poort behavior. "Apollo was struggling just as much as you were," Kay said, "So I don't care what he says, he has right to just... Badmouth you like that." _**(Dick: If I was faking, then that would be a perfect strategy for The Phantom. Probably the best sabotage for that mission.)**_ Larry sighed. "It almost feels like Apollo would be trying to push the blame on me to make other players think I'm The Phantom."

At that point, Apollo and Diego walked in. "Well," Apollo said, "We are down $35,000, and without money in the account, what's the point of playing." "This is just one of the worst team experiences," Kay said. Apollo shrugged and said, "Well, we're not technically a team." "Not now," Kay said, "But we were in that mission. And we'll be a team in future missions. And we need to work like that to make The Phantom's job harder. Instead we're just making it easier by acting like children." "You know what!," Apollo said, "Screw you!"

"I'm not trying to tell you off here!," Kay said, "In fact this is no different than what you were doing to Larry!" _**(Apollo: Kay's still thinking more and more about earning money, saying that we should make The Phantom's job harder. But what she forgets is that it doesn't matter how much money we earn if we can't even figure out who The Phantom is to earn it. Still, this was my plan all along, trying to get the players off their game.)**_ "Wow," Adrian said, "Are okay after that? Like do you think you can forgive Apollo after all that?" Kay sighed. "I'll be fine. I've dealt with worse as a prosecutor."

* * *

The next day, the suspects headed for the city of Pomaire, Chile. They soon found themselves near a large pig farm in the middle of the countryside. _**(Kay: We all got really excited when we saw the large arena, like maybe it was more sports. However, when we got out of the vans, the smell from the pigs... I'm still crinkling my nose.)**_ _**(Ema: I do like pigs... Cooked right with a side of potatoes and peas.)**_ "Welcome to Pomaire players," Simon said. He was standing in the middle of the arena next to a table. "This city is home to some of the most beautiful hand-made pottery in the world. It's also the birthplace of thousands of cute little ceramic piggy-banks, like this one." He picked up a little piggy-bank sitting on the table.

"Our mission today is called 'When Pigs Fly'. You see, we have a small problem." He motioned over to a middle-aged woman and her adult son. "This is Mrs. Ortega, one of the premier potters in this city. And right now she can't find fifty of her own hand-made piggy-banks, which are identical to the one on this table." Simon brought out a letter made out ransom style. "This is the only clue she has. It reads, 'I have taken your stinking pigs and hidden them throughout the city. And the day you get them back is the day pigs fly.' It is signed, 'El Espectro'. Care to guess what that means?" Several of the players called out "The Phantom" in unison.

Simon nodded. "Muy bien. So, that's your mission. Find the pigs, and bring home the bacon. Now, first you'll need to split up into four groups, three groups of three, and one group of two." After a quick discussion, Klavier, Kay, and Ema formed one group, Angel, Phoenix, and Diego formed the second, and Larry, Dick, and Adrian formed the third, leaving Apollo and Wendy as the group of two. "All right then," Simon said, "The three groups of three will be called the 'Ham It Up' teams. Your task is to hunt down as many pigs as you can within the city. Each of the correct pigs will be marked with The Phantom's signature green thumbprint."

He held up a large slingshot. "Once you've brought them pack to the pen, you'll use this to literally make pigs fly. As for Wendy and Apollo, you two will be the 'Bring Home The Bacon' team. Your job will be to catch the flying pigs in a blanket." There were severe groans from the obvious pun, and Simon said, "Yes, that's right... Pigs in a blanket. Anyway, for each pig successfully brought in without getting damaged, $1,000 will be added to the account. The pig already here will count for this, so you have $1,000 to start. One last thing. In the previous mission Phoenix and Adrian earned an exemption. And in this mission there is another exemption up for grabs, but this time you'll have to find it for yourselves."

_**(Diego: Of course I'm going to be looking for that exemption. Having an exemption at any time in the game can easily give you a leg up.)**_ "Now like in many missions that are open-ended," Simon said, "There is a time limit. Mrs. Ortega and her son will be your timekeepers for this mission. The mission ends when they have finished making a total of twelve pigs identical to the one you already have. Should take them about... One hour. And with that, your mission begins now!" The three 'Ham It Up' teams raced out, Klavier, Phoenix, and Adrian grabbing wheelbarrows, but it was clear pretty quick that Larry was struggling to move. _**(Dick: I saw that Larry was limping, so I told him to get in the wheelbarrow we had. So he got in, and Adrian started pushing him.)**_

Larry winced, saying, "I'm feeling sharp pains going up my leg." Meanwhile, the other two 'Ham It Up' teams agreed to each take one side of the street they were on. _**(Phoenix: Our strategy for finding the pigs was simply to ask. Unfortunately, there was one small obstacle in our way... A language barrier. I can only speak a few easy phrases of Spanish, but Klavier... He's pretty much fluent. He just starts speaking and his charm and charisma almost literally makes pigs rain down on his team.) (Klavier: I'm a rock star as well as a prosecutor, and I'm fluent in several languages, including Spanish. So I had no doubt I could charm the locals into helping us find as many pigs as we could carry.)**_

_**(Ema: He may be a glimmerous fop, but I was really in love with Klavier at that moment. The very second he opened his mouth, it was like pigs just fell from the sky. Maybe him doubling as a rock star isn't so bad after all.)**_ Meanwhile, Adrian was still Larry in their wheelbarrow, with Dick almost waddling along behind them. _**(Dick: If Larry wasn't our anchor, I sure would be. Either way, we were pretty much screwed.)**_ The trio tried looking in one of the stores they were near. When a storeowner saw they were looking for pigs, he tried telling them that the other teams already searched it, but since they didn't know Spanish they couldn't understand him.

Back at the pen, Apollo and Wendy were waiting for the other teams, decked out in plastic safety gear. "Those two are just banging out pigs there," Apollo said, "And the other haven't even gone out yet." Wendy smirked. "Don't exaggerate Apollo, they only have two complete ones so far." Back at Adrian's team, Dick was pretty much convinced they weren't gonna find anything. "The others may have gotten here first guys," he said, "Let's just move on." _**(Dick: It's obvious the other teams have already picked through all the stores we were visiting.)**_

_**(Adrian: We're pretty much the slowest team, mainly because of Larry's apparent leg cramp. We were pretty much screwed.)**_ Back outside the shop, Larry felt the pain in his leg again. Meanwhile with Klavier's team, Kay decided it was time to go back. "Having all these pigs won't do us any good if we get back and time's up. Let's hurry." As they headed back, they ran across Adrian's team. _**(Larry: We ran into Klavier, Ema, and Kay, and we asked them if they would lend us some of there pigs so we could head back while they kept searching. However, Klavier flat out refused. Seriously, if it's not Apollo getting on my nerves it's Klavier.)**_

_**(Klavier: I didn't trust Larry. He was sitting there riding in the wheelbarrow while Adrian was pushing him. I figured since we had all our pigs in one basket, let's keep them there.)**_ Klavier's team passed by Phoenix's team and told them it was time to return. _**(Ema: I was definitely concerned that The Phantom would take half our pigs then drop them just because he had a leg cramp.) (Adrian: Phantom or no Phantom, I don't like losing, and right now I had a wheelbarrow full of Larry. He definitely gets the Academy Award for Phantom-like behavior.)**_

As Apollo and Wendy continued to wait for the others, Phoenix's team suddenly realized they were lost. _**(Diego: We had quite a number of pigs, so we decided it time to head back. However, we would up getting lost along the way. I think's it's possible The Phantom was at work in my team.)**_ Back with Klavier's team, Klavier was reminded of the exemption. "I have a feeling it's in one of the pigs. Maybe we have to break one open. Do any of them have something inside them?" Ema shook one of the pigs near her ear. "From the sound it, they all do."

Apollo was soon noticing that the pig they were guaranteed also had something inside. "They must have put a centavo in there for good luck," Wendy suggested. _**(Apollo: I didn't need perception to know that there was something inside that pig that might be important. I remembered there being an exemption up for grabs, so I had to know what was in there.)**_ _**(Wendy: He couldn't leave the pig alone, but to be honest I kinda found it cute. Like a kid playing around with a Christmas present.)**_ Apollo was standing near the wall of the pen, saying, "I kinda feel like breaking this." Wendy gasped. "But that's one of our pigs." Apollo, not listening, threw the pig at the wall.

* * *

_**(Apollo: Phoenix and Adrian gave up $35,000 for an exemption. I was willing to give up double that for my chance. But... Why not start with $1,000?)**_ Apollo threw the pig against the wall, causing it shatter. Among the ceramic pieces, Apollo found what he hoped to find... A poker chip with The Phantom's thumbprint symbol. Apollo's ticket to exemption. When Wendy saw that, she became flabbergasted. _**(Wendy: What an idiot I am! I had forgotten all about the exemption. It hadn't even crossed my mind. I'm just upset that I didn't figure it out sooner because I tell ya I would have wrestled him to the ground and beat him to a pulp for the exemption.)**_

As Apollo was still reveling in his success, he saw Klavier and his team return to the pen. "Alright Wendy, get your helmet on. Game time." Wendy picked up her helmet and put it on as Apollo got the blanket. With Ema and Kay holding either end of the slingshot, Klavier loaded the first pig and fired it. The shot went too close to the wall and Apollo and Wendy couldn't get there fast enough. _**(Ema: Klavier wanted to be the one firing the slingshot. I think we lost about five pigs just in trial and error.) **_As Adrian and her team returned Larry said, "How much you wanna bet Klavier's the one pulling the slingshot?"

Apollo and Wendy kept scrambling to catch the pigs being fired, but they kept losing them. _**(Apollo: I kept wondering if we were even gonna make any money on this mission. The exemption is great and all, but winning is meaningless without a large cash prize.)**_ Ema saw Adrian's group coming in and said, "Why is Larry in a wheelbarrow?" "Maybe we could give those guys some extra power on the slingshot," Dick suggested. Larry laughed. "I'm sure Klavier won't let you." _**(Dick: As we predicted, Klavier was using the slingshot. But he was using it poorly. I offered to help out by taking over for Kay, giving the slingshot added stability. I doubt Klavier is The Phantom, just a little overconfident. He tries to be the leader, but doesn't have the ability.)**_

Phoenix and his team were soon at the pen as well, as Klavier, now with Dick holding one side of the slingshot, was doing a better job of getting the pigs to Apollo and Wendy. _**(Dick: I first learned how to use a three-person water balloon launcher in summer camp, and was very good at it. Who knew it would help make me money?) **_Pig after pig was fired and caught. "Let's move faster guys," Phoenix said, "I don't wanna see a single pig outside the arena, except the real ones, when time's out. If they break at least we gave it a shot." Meanwhile, Adrian was telling some of the others about having to wheel Larry around the entire time.

Apollo and Wendy continued to run around trying to catch the pigs, some of which were still missing. _**(Wendy: I always think little pigs are so cute, but when pigs fly they can sometimes run into people. One of those pigs actually flew into my arm and gave it a slight bruise.)**_ The last of the timer pigs was almost finished, as the team hurried to get their last two pigs into the arena.

* * *

The team got ready to launch their final pig. The pig got smashed on the ground just short of the blanket, but it was still just in time. "Alright," Simon said, "Looks like you brought home the bacon just in time." _**(Ema: I was really surprised we got as many as we did. It was certainly impressive.)**_ "Okay," Simon said, "Time to add it all up. Klavier, Ema, and Kay, you managed to bring back 26 pigs. Phoenix, Diego, and Angel, you got 18. But... Adrian, Dick, Larry, you guys didn't bring back any pigs. What happened out there? That's just brutal." Adrian sighed. "Larry got injured and we had to wheel him the entire time."

_**(Apollo: I kinda felt disgusted that Larry, who bills himself as the ultimate athlete, would wind up being pushed around by a woman. Sorry if that sounds chauvinistic, but it still doesn't speak much about Larry's skills.)**_ Simon cleared his throat. "Well then, out of all those pigs, you managed to successfully catch 28, giving you a total of $28,000 for your account. The account now stands at $63,000. Oh, one more thing, Polly found something interesting while the rest of you were out there grabbing pigs." Apollo smiled and held up the poker chip. "I managed to find the third exemption hidden in the pig we were given at the start." "That cost the team $1,000 dollars," Simon said, "And now three players are guaranteed safety until the next round. I'll see you all tonight."

Back at the hotel, the players began to decompress after the exhausting mission. Dick got out his portable video camera and started playing with it. "Check it out," Larry said, "I found out something interesting." _**(Dick: Klavier was in here earlier, and as it turned out, he had left his journal behind. There was nothing that said we couldn't look through each others journals, so we thought we should have a peek and see what Klavier's thinking.) (Larry: Some people here aren't in game mode. I mean, who would leave their journal just lying around like that? I always keep my journal with me at all times.)**_

In another room, Klavier was entertaining the others with a little song about the game. _**(Klavier: I had purposefully left my journal behind where Larry and Dick could find it, I knew there was information in there that was already common knowledge, which would lead them to the wrong impressions and perhaps throw them off their game. Who knows, maybe they would think I'm The Phantom.) **_Later that night, the suspects assembled for the pre-quiz dinner. "Greetings everyone," Simon said, "Tonight we have three exemptions. Apollo, Phoenix, and Adrian are all safe from elimination tonight. The others... Well, I think that speaks for itself." "I honestly didn't have a clue about the exemption," Wendy said.

_**(Wendy: I'm a little more anxious than I was last time, since we have three exemptions. I'm honestly hoping I can stay a little longer, if not to the end.)**_ "Funny thing," Phoenix said, "Even though I'm exempt, I still feel nervous somehow." "Maybe it's because you're paranoid," Dick suggested with a laugh. _**(Larry: You're stupid to think you're safe at any given time in this game. The moment you let you're guard down, that's when you're eliminated. I think I could possibly go home tonight.)**_ As their meals came in, Simon said, "Well, let's enjoy our dinner, because afterwards is the quiz, and then one of you is going home."

* * *

**Remember, the quiz is ten questions about The Phantom's identity. The names that correspond to the answers will be placed beside those answers. See if you can answer these questions.**

1. Is The Phantom male or female?

A. Male (Phoenix, Larry, Apollo, Klavier, Diego, Dick)

B. Female (Kay, Ema, Wendy, Angel, Adrian)

_**(Kay: I think this game it getting to me. It's throwing all my emotions into a spiral to the point I'm questioning my sanity.)**_

2. In "Race to the Summit", how did The Phantom arrive at the summit?

A. Bike (Phoenix, Adrian)

B. Gondola 1 (Klavier, Kay, Ema)

C. Gondola 2 (Diego, Angel, Larry)

D. Gondola 3 (Dick, Apollo, Wendy)

3. Did The Phantom earn an exemption in "Race to the Summit"?

A. Yes (Phoenix, Adrian)

B. No (Klavier, Kay, Ema, Diego, Angel, Larry, Dick, Apollo, Wendy)

_**(Angel: Klavier is my top suspect right now. He always demands attention, so he could be The Phantom easily.)**_

4. In "Race to the Summit", which group did The Phantom join?

A. "Uphill Battle" Team (Phoenix, Adrian)

B. "Goal Oriented" Team (Klavier, Kay, Ema, Diego, Angel, Larry, Dick, Apollo, Wendy)

5. At the start of the "When Pigs Fly" mission, did The Phantom grab a wheelbarrow?

A. Yes (Phoenix, Klavier, Adrian)

B. No (Kay, Larry, Ema, Apollo, Wendy, Diego, Dick)

_**(Dick: Phoenix, Angel, and Diego had gotten lost and Phoenix blamed it on Angel. But he's a smart guy, so the whole thing seems kinda fishy.)**_

6. How many Phantom pigs did The Phantom's "Ham It Up" team find in Pomaire?

A. 0 (Adrian, Dick, Larry)

B. 18 (Phoenix, Angel, Diego)

C. 26 (Klavier, Kay, Ema)

D. The Phantom was not a "Ham It Up" player (Apollo, Wendy)

7. In "When Pigs Fly", what did The Phantom do after returning from Pomaire?

A. Catch pigs (Apollo, Wendy)

B. Hold one end of the slingshot handle (Ema, Kay, Dick)

C. Load pigs and shoot slingshot (Klavier)

D. Nothing (Phoenix, Larry, Angel, Diego, Adrian)

_**(Klavier: I think Ema might be The Phantom. She came into this game guns blazing and now she's dialed it down a little, playing the game differently.)**_

8. During "When Pigs Fly", did The Phantom wear protective headgear?

A. Yes (Apollo, Wendy)

B. No (Adrian, Dick, Larry, Phoenix, Angel, Diego, Klavier, Kay, Ema)

9. During "When Pigs Fly", was The Phantom transported in a wheelbarrow for the majority of the time?

A. Yes (Larry)

B. No (Apollo, Wendy, Adrian, Dick, Phoenix, Angel, Diego, Klavier, Kay, Ema)

_**(Ema: Larry could definitely be The Phantom. He's either the greatest Phantom ever, or the worst player ever.)**_

10. Who is The Phantom?

A. Angel

B. Klavier

C. Larry

D. Diego

E. Dick

F. Adrian

G. Wendy

H. Phoenix

I. Ema

J. Apollo

K. Kay

* * *

Simon watched as the players gathered in front of the giant television for the elimination. "Good evening," Simon said, "We're here at the famous Cementerio General, Chile's largest cemetery. A venue I thought was rather fitting for the second elimination. As you know, I am going to access your quiz results one at a time. If your name comes up green, you're safe. But if it's red, then you've been eliminated from the game. Let's begin." Simon started tapping the names one-by-one.

Diego... Safe

Klavier... Safe

Kay... Safe

Larry... Safe

Wendy... Eliminated

Wendy sighed as Simon helped her with her bag. She was led to the limo that would take her to the final location where the big reveal would happen.

Wendy: Well, I'm sad to go home so soon, but I did enjoy the time I had. Heck I wouldn't trade it for a million dollars. Well, maybe a million...

Dick: I really liked Wendy. It's like every time she opened her mouth I was amused. She was pretty much everyone's fun-loving mother.

Apollo: I'll be honest, Wendy was a joy to be around. There are some other people in this group that I would love to go home instead of her. Ema been grating on my nerves since this whole thing started, and Larry's just been useless.

Larry: Hey, you can be competitive and still be classy.

Apollo: What's so classy about driving around in a wheelbarrow?

Ema: I can kill you while you sleep Apollo. I can do it in such a way that doesn't leave forensic evidence.

Apollo: And now we have death threats. You know what Ema, you're just talk.

Ema: I swear Apollo Justice, I will beat you at this game.

To be continued...

**And the gauntlet is thrown. But can either of these two triumph over the other, assuming neither of them is The Phantom? As always, if you want to try your hand at the quiz, then leave your answers in the form of a review. My next chapter of "Rise of the Ace Attorney" should be out around the same time as this, so keep your eyes peeled for its hidden clue. See ya.**


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